A Japanese/South Korean venture to initiate the world's first digital multimedia broadband broadcasting system is on its way to becoming a reality with launch of the Loral MBSAT spacecraft on board a Lockheed Martin Atlas III. The 9,100-lb. spacecraft is finishing its climb toward geosynchronous orbit this week following placement in an elliptical transfer orbit early on Mar. 13 by the International Launch Services (ILS) mission. The MBSAT project is a combined effort by the Mobile Broadcast Corp. of Japan and SK Telecom of South Korea.
Even before the enactment of the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the U.S. airline industry experienced a profound technological change as carriers converted from piston to jet aircraft in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Japanese-owned companies with long industrial ties to the airframer as suppliers of inflight entertainment (IFE), cabin and landing gear parts for the the A380, raising to 18 the total number of Japanese firms involved with the project. The suppliers are expected to earn more than $4.25 billion from the 555-seat double-decker transport, which is to enter service with Singapore Airlines in 2006.
The Transportation Security Administration has launched a privacy education program. All 53,000 employees of the TSA are to undergo web-based/multimedia training on how to protect the privacy rights of passengers. The TSA's ongoing program includes enforcement of internal controls on use of data and private information, as well as the appointment of an external privacy advisory board.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Robert Wall (Washington)
Delays in formulating an agreement to acquire Boeing KC-767 tankers are rapidly driving up the cost of the deal, warn House legislators supporting the program. House defense appropriators and authorizers are increasingly vocal in their criticism of the Senate, which they fault for not moving on the accord. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has blasted the Senate for inaction, and now House appropriators, who were instrumental in conceiving of the lease proposal, are chiming in.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. is expected to decide this week whether to begin operating two Hermes 450 unmanned air vehicles from Elbit Systems along the Mexico-Arizona border. The move is part of a $10-million border control initiative that also will see the assignment of four additional OH-6 scout helicopters to the fleet of aircraft operated by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforce- ment (ICE) and the border patrol.
Let's face it, not many passengers deliberately book a middle seat to anywhere on an airliner. Continental Airlines is doing something about it. The carrier now offers business travelers holding full-fare economy tickets a "no middle seat" guarantee. If no window or aisle seat is available, Continental will award 2,500 frequent-flier miles.
The Helicopter Assn. International's Heli-Expo convention opened with a boom in orders for aircraft and services that bodes well for an industry stuck in a hover for the past three years. Airframe manufacturers announced orders for more than 70 new helicopters on the first day of the show, and exhibitors were doing a brisk business throughout last week's event. Bell Helicopter Textron and archrival Eurocopter signed multiple deals, and Sikorsky inked long-term contracts for the S-92 and S-76. Other major news at the show:
I was pleased that your article recognized investigation into ZPE as a valid scientific enterprise. This field, as promising as it is, is only one of many exciting advanced technology areas worth investigating more rigorously. Magnetohydrodynamic drives, ion wind lifters and gravitational wave generators also deserve more scientific inquiry. Sadly, the prediction of technology breakthroughs is anything but an exact science.
David Finkleman has become senior scientist in the Colorado Springs-based Center for Space Standards and Innovation of Analytical Graphics. He was director of analysis/chief technical officer for the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
As part of a program restructuring to address weight concerns, Pentagon officials have scrapped plans to revise the development order of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and instead are focusing on making the test program more efficient.
Low-cost carriers are adopting the upscale front cabin as a new tool to compete against network airlines. The trend toward business and first class is offering more than greater passenger comfort--it promises a new way to boost profits. Business class at the discounters is modified in style and in cost compared with the traditional version. The service tends to focus on a wider seat than in coach. Snacks and beverages are somewhat improved. One can expect better treatment such as "first on and first off."
A two-piece spacecraft that started environmental testing this month will attempt to shed new light on the solar system's beginnings when its impactor section smashes into comet Tempel-1 at about 23,000 mph. next year. By assessing imagery and spectral signatures of material spewed from the resulting crater, scientists expect to get their first glimpse of organic-rich, pristine material that may be linked to the origins of life on Earth.
Low-cost carriers are adopting the upscale front cabin as a new tool to compete against network airlines. The trend toward business and first class is offering more than greater passenger comfort--it promises a new way to boost profits. Business class at the discounters is modified in style and in cost compared with the traditional version. The service tends to focus on a wider seat than in coach. Snacks and beverages are somewhat improved. One can expect better treatment such as "first on and first off."
Pratt & Whitney's F135 system and development demonstration (SDD) test program is quickly gaining momentum with seven engines planned to be under evaluation by midsummer. FX631--the first of the SDD F135s--began running at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., test center in October and has accumulated more than 246 hr. Initial trials examined sea-level operability, fan performance and augmentor operability of the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) configured powerplant.
David A. Fulghum Robert Wall (WashingtonWashington )
There are signs the F/A-22 Raptor program is running into the same lethal combination of financial pressures, uneven progress in development and intensified congressional scrutiny that led to the cancellation of the U.S. Army's RAH-66 Comanche.
With the clock ticking on the U.S. presidential election, European nations are considering a stepped approach to negotiating a transatlantic aviation deal with Washington. The end of this month will see the next round of talks. Discussions resume on Mar. 29 in an attempt to thrash out a consensus between Brussels and Washington on an umbrella pact to replace the existing bilateral agreements between European Union (EU) states and the U.S.
Even before the enactment of the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the U.S. airline industry experienced a profound technological change as carriers converted from piston to jet aircraft in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Kevin Brown has been named vice president-Air Traffic Management, effective Apr. 1, of Boeing Phantom Works, which is to absorb Boeing ATM. He has been vice president-strategy of Boeing ATM and will succeed John Hayhurst, who is retiring.
Of the world's two principal regional jet manufacturers--Canada's Bombardier Co. and Brazil's Embraer--the latter is widely perceived to be the more efficient airframe manufacturer. But is it really? Embraer last week posted fourth-quarter earnings of 39 cents, which were in line with consensus. However, they represented the fourth consecutive quarter in which the company's operating performance fell below expectations of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) analysts, leading them to question the profitability of Embraer's current backlog.
Aviation Week & Space Technology's coverage of the space shuttle Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003, and its aftermath won the 2004 Jesse H. Neal Award for best news coverage in the largest publications category. The awards, sponsored by American Business Media, are the highest journalism honors bestowed on U.S. trade publications, covering all industries and professions. There were 1,283 entries this year. AW&ST was also first runner-up for the Grand Neal Award, a "best of the best" recognition among the 26 Neal winners.
The Missile Defense Agency appears impervious to criticism that the missile system it is getting ready to field is unproven, but MDA heads are nonetheless rearranging test plans to better characterize system performance.
Raytheon and Germany's Diehl Stiftung have established Diehl Raytheon Missile Systeme GmbH. to modernize and market older versions of the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile. The joint venture also plans to expand into supporting and developing the AIM-120 Amraam air-to-air missile in Europe.
